Replies to This Discussion

I noticed that the Warren family announcement talked about mental illness and getting the best medical treatment for their son but no mention of their god. If Warren's purpose driven life is part of his god's plan then why doesn't Warren thank his god for making Warren's son suffer terribly with mental illness causing so much anguish he killed himself? After all, in Warren's faith-based worldview, his son's suicide was part of his god's master plan for the Warren family. This is where Judeo-Christian belief spectacularly fails. 2000 years of Christian Apologetics still can't address the Problem of Evil and Suffering aka Theodicy. So I look forward to Pastor Warren publicly praising his loving god for killing Warren's mentally ill son unless he is a hypocrite. Hopefully this human tragedy will bring Warren to his senses and snap him out of his god delusion. It will be interesting to see how this plays out with the Warrens.

I think there is no way on this earth that Warren will ever 'snap out' of his delusion, he is in WAY too deep. If he is a snake oil entrepreneur then he will continue with business as usual, finding a way to milk every last cent out of the tragedy, if he is a 'true believer' his 'faith' will keep him believing.

I was wondering if the mental illness was hereditary and if embryonic research could help cure/eradicate the condition...

Parasites like him are the ones who make life hell for so many others like gays and women, by propagating homophobia and other nonsense that ultimately leads to so many people struggling with bullying and depression that some of them even kill themselves. Every chance they get, they only spew more lies and bigotry to make life hell for others. Such people don't grieve for parents who lost their gay children to suicide, so he deserves no sympathy himself. Fuck him and fuck everything he stands for.

Richmond, to answer your question: Even if that Christian believes that suicide is a terrible sin, they will still be prone to believe that their loved one is in heaven because ultimately they recognize that they can't know the mind of their god nor pronounce his judgement. Essentially, they think God is more merciful than to condemn a person for a singular act, and continue to hold on to hope that they will see their loved one again one day. Like all things in religion, it's the personal and emotional connections that cause one's beliefs to change.

In the news, Rick Warren (or his family) asked for prayers. I am puzzled as to exactly what prayer they wanted.

For all here saying that suicide is the unforgivable sin, there is one other--nonbelief. You can be the worse murderer, child molester, rapist, and repent and go to heaven. But non-belief, you will burn in hell.

When is the book detailing your ordeal with a severely depressed son going to hit the Xian-Fox talk circuit? GriefLit is a big genre. And "God" never overlooks an opportunity to bring material blessings to his big supporters.

"Having our son was a blessing... and our hearts would be inconsolable without our steadfast belief in God's power -- which however inscrutable can be turned into cash."